This archive report was first published on 29 November 2019.
On November 4, 2019, a brutal attack by alleged members of the La Linea drug cartel in northern Mexico left three women and six children dead, including twin eight-month-old babies.
The incident drew the attention of US President Donald Trump, who offered to help Mexico combat cartels by designating them as terrorist groups.
However, Mexicans have broadly rejected Trump's offer, citing national sovereignty and historical grievances.
"This is the first and only time" the US has moved to add mafia groups to the list, said Jorge Castaneda, a Mexican academic and former foreign minister.
"And the reason is that there's no easy comparison. These organizations have no political component," he added.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard responded to Trump's statement, saying "cooperation yes, interventionism no."
"Mexico's national history is constructed upon the reference point of an expanding, domineering, imposing, imperious United States," said Carlos Rodriguez Ulloa, of Mexican security think tank CASEDE.
Experts agree that little would change on the ground if the United States put Mexican cartels on its blacklist, as the countries already cooperate extensively against them.
US planes have been flying Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) missions over Mexican territory for more than 25 years, said Castaneda.
